Let faith arise: Jayden's first three months

         
           Let faith arise
           I lift my hands to believe again
          You are my refuge, You are my strength
          As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
          You are faithful, God, forever 
           -- Chris Tomlin

           Three months ago this week, Jayden Scott Thomas was born.

            Michelle has been ribbing me a bit because I haven’t blogged since then.

            Truth be told, I just didn’t know what to write.

            It’s not like I didn’t have anything to say.

            Of course, there have been a lot of feelings running through my mind.

            But how exactly do you put into words witnessing the birth of your only child, holding him for the first time, sharing him with his older brother and sister, watching his grandparents interact with him and the bond that has brought Michelle and I even closer since Nov. 8, 2011?

            Talk about a life-altering experience!

            I have been overwhelmed by God’s grace and goodness in the last three months.

            At 44, I never dreamed I would have a son.

            Heck, there was a time not all that long ago, that I figured the chances of me even getting married weren’t too good. But when you serve a Risen Savior, there is nothing He can’t accomplish through you and for you.

           Sometimes when the house is quiet – and that’s extremely rare these days – and it’s just me and Jayden, I just sit there in the rocker or recliner holding him, thinking how unbelievably lucky I am and praising God.

            See, even now I’m not sure how to adequately express my feelings.

            That’s probably bad for a journalist.

            But if you are a parent, you likely know what I’m talking about.

            Here are some of my most vivid memories from Jayden’s first three months:

• Holding him in the hospital nursery minutes after he was born as 30 of our closest friends and family crowded around a single window and took pictures of us – mainly him, but I was in some of the pictures. One of the most powerful moments of my life. I wish I had taken a photo so Michelle could have witnessed it as well. She was still busy in the OR at that time. 

• The first moments Michelle and I had with Jayden later that night, after everyone had left and it was just the three of us. We prayed and just thanked God for his goodness and for this awesome boy that we have. We were both exhausted by that time. It had been quite a whirlwind that afternoon. But I could have lingered in those thankful moments for a long, long time.
• The expression on my Mom and Dad’s face as they held their second grandchild for the first time. Really, it’s pretty much the same anytime they hold him. The love of a grandparent is a special thing indeed. 
• Jayden’s first “words.” Not really. He hasn’t spoken yet, at least he hasn’t spoken clearly. But only recently he was on our bed cooing and making other baby noises, and I would swear you could make out a “hello.” Michelle videotaped it with her phone. My Mom says she watches it on Facebook every night before she goes to bed.

            There are plenty of more memories obviously. Too many to list in one blog.

            So then how do I sum up my feelings for Jayden?

            I saw a movie not too long ago where a father said to his son, “I’ve loved you every second of your life.”

            That hit home with me.

            I have loved Jayden every second of his life and really even before that.

            He was an unexpected blessing from an awesome God.

            The same can be said for Michelle, Robbie and Alyssa.

            We have challenges almost everyday as a family, but we share a love that many people spend their lives searching for and serve a God whose goodness knows no bounds.

            Six years ago in Montgomery, my top priorities were making sure our weekly college football section went to press on time and trying to lead our writers through coaching searches without using anonymous sources.

            That seems like a lifetime ago.